Elastic knitted band having stretch woven band feel and appearance and method of making same

Abstract

An elastic knitted band having stretch woven appearance and feel including filling yarn laid in between the warp yarn needles. The filling yarns are secured to the elastic band by the conventional warp yarn chain stitches so as to become an integral component of the elastic knit band without creating warp or filling ridges. The filling yarns can be positioned: (1) in front of the back weft yarns; (2) behind the front weft yarns; or (3) in between front and back elastomer bars separating the elastomer threads. The filling yarn preferably is textured yarn.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A method for fabricating an elastic knit band for apparel characterized by enhanced feel and appearance relative to a conventional elastic knit band, said method comprising the steps of: (a) providing a flat knitting weft insertion machine of the type having an elongate needle bed for carrying and initially reciprocating a plurality of warp yarn knitting needles and a warp guide bar for carrying a corresponding plurality of warp yarn guides;   (b) providing a plurality of weft insertion bars wherein each bar carries a plurality of yarn guides, said plurality of weft insertion bars comprising a back weft yarn bar and back weft yarns, at least one elastomer thread bar and elastomer threads, a filling yarn bar and filling yarns, and a front weft yarn bar and front weft yarns; and   (c) knitting an elastic band including (1) laying the filling yarns in between the warp knitting needles (2) between said back and said front weft yarns and extending substantially parallel and loosely adjacent to the warp yarns or enhanced feel and appearance, and laying in said filling yarns such that they do not act to limit the warp direction stretch of the knitted band.   
     
     
       2. A method according to claim 1 comprising providing said plurality of weft insertion bars wherein said bars comprise in sequence a back weft yarn bar and back weft yarns, a filling yarn bar and filling yarns, an elastomer thread bar and elastomer threads, and a front weft yarn bar and front weft yarns, and knitting the band by laying the filling yarns in front of said back weft yarns. 
     
     
       3. A method according to claim 1 comprising providing said plurality of weft insertion bars wherein said bars comprise in sequence a back weft yarn bar and back weft yarns, an elastomer thread bar and elastomer threads, a filling yarn bar and filling yarns, and a front weft yarn bar and front weft yarns, and knitting the band by laying the filling yarns behind the front weft yarns. 
     
     
       4. A method according to claim 1 comprising providing said plurality of weft insertion bars wherein said bars comprise in sequence a back weft yarn bar and back weft yarns, a back elastomer thread bar and back elastomer threads, a filling yarn bar and filling yarns, a front elastomer thread bar and front elastomer threads, and a front weft yarn bar and front weft yarns, and knitting the band by laying the filling yarns between the back and front elastomer threads. 
     
     
       5. A method according to claim 1 including providing multi-filament polyester yarns as the weft and warp yarns. 
     
     
       6. A method according to claim 1 including providing natural rubber thread as the elastomer thread. 
     
     
       7. A method according to claim 1 including providing spun yarn or flat filament yarn as the filling yarn. 
     
     
       8. An elastic knitted band with enhanced feel and appearance produced according to the method of claim 1. 
     
     
       9. A method for fabricating an elastic knit band for apparel and the like characterized by enhanced feel and appearance relative to a conventional elastic knit band, said method comprising the steps of: (a) providing a flat knitting weft insertion machine of the type having an elongate needle bed for carrying and initially reciprocating a plurality of warp yarn knitting needles and a warp guide bar for carrying a corresponding plurality of warp yarn guides;   (b) providing 5 weft insertion bars wherein each bar carries a plurality of yarn guides, said 5 weft insertion bars comprising in sequence a back weft yarn bar and back weft yarns, a back elastomer thread bar and back elastomer threads, a filling yarn bar and filling yarns, a front elastomer thread bar and front elastomer threads, and a front weft yarn bar and front weft yarns; and   (c) knitting an elastic band including laying the filling yarns in between the warp knitting needles and extending substantially parallel and loosely adjacent to the warp yarns for enhanced feel and appearance wherein the filling yarns are positioned in the knitted band between the front and back elastomer threads such that said filling yarns do not act to limit the warp direction stretch of the knitted band.   
     
     
       10. A method according to claim 9 including providing multi-filament polyester yarns as the weft and warp yarns. 
     
     
       11. A method according to claim 9 including providing natural rubber thread as the elastomer thread. 
     
     
       12. A method according to claim 9 including providing spun yarn or flat filament yarn as the filling yarn.